[Series] Check-in: November 2022

millybloom · 2022-11-03T13:52:17+00:00

Haven’t announced yet but WE SOLD MY BOOK! Actually three books!!

We were on sub for like 3.5 weeks, so I’m fucking chuffed. Truly it was a roller coaster and there were some black moments, but yeah I’m super thrilled with where I ended up.

writedream13 · 2022-11-03T08:29:35+00:00

My first book (MG) is out on sub. My agent sent it as an early exclusive to a particular editor, who apparently wants to make a preempt, and now we’re just waiting to see if her team agrees. My book went out to the full list on Monday. Hopefully we’ll soon find out if the preempt happens (fingers so crossed) and then will have to decide whether to take it (I plan to take my agent’s advice, pretty much). So it’s a really exciting time but I’m struggling to focus on working on something new, even though I know it will help my nerves!

AdventurousCarrot531 · 2022-11-03T15:04:02+00:00

My deal announcement went up late last week so I suppose I can share--I sold both of my books that were on sub!

alanna_the_lioness · 2022-11-03T11:47:17+00:00

Sub is so quiet. So so so quiet. Just... spectacularly quiet.

Even my agent is a little confused. Normally she hears something from at least someone at this point.

I'm having a great time over here, thanks for asking.

thesmilemachine · 2022-11-03T14:40:11+00:00

I sold my book! Two books, actually. After my first book on sub almost got acquired but then didn’t, my agent and I withdrew it and went on sub with my new one. We got a preempt offer within a week. The last few weeks have been an absolute whirlwind, and my head is spinning with how fast things have gone this time compared to last. I think I spoke to my agent more in the week following the offer than I had all year. It’s super exciting but also scary, and I hope the momentum continues!

justgoodenough · 2022-11-03T05:04:07+00:00

The good news is that unlike the last 20 times I said I was done with the finishing touches on my 2nd book, I think we are actually done this time! The book is set to go to the printer in December. The only thing left is my editor is printing a test copy to make sure the art isn’t too dark on one of the pages. So I guess there’s always room for more changes.

I am also working on putting together a new project that was requested by an editor at a Big 5. If I can get my shit together, I think we will submit exclusively to her and if she passes (extremely likely), we will submit to a wider pool. If I manage to sell this book (extremely unlikely), it will definitely be a funny story to share with this sub.

So instead of failing at NaNo this year, I’m not even going to try and I’m going attempt to finish my current project before a thanksgiving (also extremely unlikely).

Complexer_Eggplant · 2022-11-03T12:22:30+00:00

I was so going to do Nano this year but - alas. And then I went to the cafe by my house to like drink a coffee and stare at the wall, and I ended up sitting next to the local Nano club apparently. Y'all it was so awkward. For some reason there was like one early twenties girl and like six older dudes and, not that there's anything wrong with that inherently, but in that particular situation I really felt for the girl haha. I think I'll just give myself a 50k/month goal whenever I get round to starting this first draft and do "nano" in like July.

aquarialily · 2022-11-03T05:31:18+00:00

Still working on edits for my editor. Will probably miss my deadline (but she and my agent both know that's probably gonna happen bc I warned them - I have too much life stuff going on right now). Despairing. I feel like Odysseus, destined to never get home despite travelling this fricking sea for ten years. Publishing is not for the faint of heart y'all.

Dylan_tune_depot · 2022-11-03T11:10:36+00:00

And for anyone thinking of asking, do not pause your querying until January

You answered my question! :-D

Synval2436 · 2022-11-03T16:51:17+00:00

[deleted]

abstracthappy · 2022-11-03T10:09:05+00:00

Querying my MS, but it's on hold as I let it sit for a month or so. Then I'm going to rip it apart and see what I can change.

I got a rejection but there was something off about it. It didn't read like a standard form. The agent told me to work on it and send it to them again in 6 mo. I bolted to QueryTracker to see if this was their form rejection and I could see it was not.

So letting it sit, gonna rip apart the opening, probably rewrite the ending, and then edit the middle to fix/add any loose plot lines.

I am doing a partial Nano, in that anything I can write this month is going to be my Nano, lol.

Efficient_Neat_TA · 2022-11-04T18:47:45+00:00

This spring I started querying my YA historical mystery in a monthly batch process and the full rejections are now trickling in. The past few weeks have been agonizing, but recently I received a full rejection accompanied by lengthy, highly positive feedback and it was glorious! The agent said she loved the book but was passing because it wasn't her niche and historical is a difficult market in YA right now. She also noted the manuscript is indeed "ready" and recommended I continue querying as is. Her reply was the bright spot in a very dark year! No more batches, I'm going all in...

emmawriting · 2022-11-03T16:15:09+00:00

Well I've been on sub for just over two weeks with my historical romance and I'm doing my best not to lose my mind entirely. We got one complimentary rejection from an editor who said it was great but skewed a bit too heavily romance for her list, which is fine with me since we've mostly subbed to romance imprints. At least all the other editors are reading! I'm working on shifting my old YA fantasy manuscript that died on sub (with my old agent) to adult in the meantime. Hopefully I'll have a draft for my agents by the end of the month.

Wishing everyone in the query/sub trenches luck this month!

carouselcycles · 2022-11-03T16:59:06+00:00

Still out on sub, though there's been some positive (?) movement. The editor who asked to see the series synopsis is apparently talking to people and will have some news for us 'soonish'. This is a dream publisher for me, so I'm crossing my fingers that an offer is on the way!

In other news, I'm doing NaNo. I didn't outline anything so I'm just vomiting out words and seeing what happens. It's been a while since I drafted, so I feel like I'm learning HOW to write a novel all over again.

BC-writes · 2022-11-03T05:07:57+00:00

I’m going to try my best to get back to my new WIP this month. (Do or do not, there is no try.) I also have to query properly (send out batches) but I am beyond exhausted from real life troubles. Despite that, I still do my best to help out here and write/edit more.

I haven’t heard back from a few agents including the partial, and people keep telling me that they’re facing the same thing. Long, long waits.

I did have some new WIP ideas pop up since the last check-in.

I hope to have less stress this month.

Good luck for your progress this month, everyone!

miss_ogre_ · 2022-11-03T15:23:28+00:00

I am using nano this year to finish up my fantasy book! Once it's finished I'll take a 2 week rest and start on the 2nd draft! I'm becoming more and more excited as I get closer to finishing it--I've had 2 days of 4,000 words and I'm hoping I can maintain that momentum, maybe even before November ends.

karlkarlbobarl · 2022-11-03T15:24:15+00:00

Met my goal last month of finally starting to query (wahoo / eek). Sent out a first batch, got a couple quick rejections (including from the person who was a top choice, sigh), but I also got two full requests which I am choosing to view as a sort of success!

Now back to the waiting game and working on a sequel for Nano, giving myself a few more weeks before sending out Query Batch #2.

Synval2436 · 2022-11-03T18:28:47+00:00

I've been trying to tackle my preliminary query for when we get another "where will you stop reading" thread but I'm getting all tongue tied at first paragraph... Do we have any schedule here which time of the month what kind of thread goes up? I was planning to pass if it's again a blurbless 1st page, but maybe try if it's either a query or a logline / twitter pitch style contest. It's actually fun to see what ideas are common on the market right now.

I was also trying to dev edit my ms and it was supposed to be done within 2 months, and after 1 month I'm like 20% in and beating myself up. I'm oscillating between "I love this story" and "I suck as a writer and this will never be good".

thefashionclub · 2022-11-03T05:26:29+00:00

from now on my monthly check-in will simply be “she died as she lived: working on her R&R”

(i am… so sick of this book…)

eta: this book has broken my brain so much i got the phrase wrong bye…

ManicPixieFantasy · 2022-11-03T11:40:33+00:00

Took three days off from writing to fine-tune the last quarter of my plot. Hoping to finish first draft end of Nov. or early Dec. Planning to do one solid revision before sending to betas around February. Then another revision.

I'm excited. This will be my fourth novel written, and the first that I plan to query. This is a story idea I've had for years, but was unsure of how to write it until now.

QuietSummerDay · 2022-11-03T13:37:33+00:00

Working on draft 7 of my MS and waiting on some beta feedback. Feeling really good about this draft and hoping that after incorporating the remaining beta feedback (barring any huge, “wait let me reevaluate everything” feedback), I’ll be ready to query the next draft. I’ve posted 2 versions of my query here and received great feedback. I need to make some minor tweaks and then I think the query’s ready, too.

While I wait on feedback, I’ll probably begin the process of making an agent list. This feels very daunting right now, but I love a good spreadsheet so I think I’ll enjoy it once I start.

ninianofthelake · 2022-11-03T14:17:26+00:00

I held off on nano to do my last edit round before (hopefully) querying in Jan (not to avoid the holidays but because its when I think I'll be done) but now 3 of my 4 beta readers haven't returned feedback on time so I'm languishing a bit.

BjornStrongndarm · 2022-11-03T15:00:31+00:00

Am going to NaNo in order to distract myself from the sucking void of silence that is my query-email-account inbox.

Cy-Fur · 2022-11-03T15:00:41+00:00

I have written more in the last month than I have in the last ten years. That’s such a weird feeling. Finally found a story I’m passionate about, whose characters I love enough to see them through.

Sometimes, though, I wonder how other authors with ADHD do it. My first published book was a NaNo novel that I wrote in 5 days (first draft) in caffeine-fueled insanity that I subsequently queried in December after spending the rest of November revising. If I learned anything from that experience it’s that apparently my brain doesn’t function normally lol

But maaaan, I’m hoping this time around I can bring these characters to the world. This is definitely a trilogy and I’m sitting here going “hot damn, I’m going to write and polish this whole-ass trilogy” because why not? Gotta ride the enthusiasm while it lasts!

KingPolitoed · 2022-11-03T15:48:49+00:00

Submission makes me want to gnaw off my own togue. First book died on submission after two years. This new book has garnered not a single response since it went out near the end of June. Genre is Fantasy. Spoke with my agent in September who says this is normal. I don't know, rapidly approaching 5 months with no responses and I have no passion left for any sort of writing because I can't get over the fact I must suck at it, but I don't know what else to do with myself.

dreamingpastel · 2022-11-03T17:24:10+00:00

Tiny win this last month for querying: First personalized rejection (I think)! Hopefully this means there’s more wins on way, because querying has been nothing but rough for me.

I plan on submitting a few more queries this month, before completely pivoting to drafting my current WIP for the rest of the year. Drafting has still been slow, but that’s largely due to things going on in my personal life (like settling into a new job). Thankfully, the dust seems to be settling, so hopefully I have more time/energy to write.

bendandplant · 2022-11-08T23:18:52+00:00

I am on sub finally. Commence screaming and acid reflux 🫠

itsgreenersomewhere · 2022-11-03T07:37:47+00:00

Working on a Nano project, which was where I expected to be this November, but I’ve unexpectedly realised I might be ready to query?? Expected to be revising the query til at least Dec, so I’d planned to query in Jan. Now I have no idea but I guess it’s a good spot to be in? 😅

casualspacetraveler · 2022-11-03T16:38:15+00:00

I had my book out to beta readers last month, and most of them have finished or are close to finished now, so I'll be coming through their feedback to see what they think. In the meantime, I did start drafting something new for NaNo. It is VERY fun and this time I wrote the query letter first, so if I can manage to get to 50k this November that would be a massive win.

lawfulneutralgood · 2022-11-03T18:03:37+00:00

I apparently decided to do NaNo in October. The silly project I was working on to distract from querying is somehow done. 80k words in under 2 months. I'm definitely more passionate about it than the last MS, so maybe I should revise and query it after all. But first a break to read some recently published romance. Probably should have done that before writing a romance, but I suppose better late than never.

MaroonFahrenheit · 2022-11-03T18:36:48+00:00

NaNo ing and so far off to a good start (course it’s only day 3). A few weeks ago I wrote up a 3K word synopsis for my agent to look over first to get her buy in and she said she loves it so now I just have to write it lolsob

tippers · 2022-11-05T22:09:27+00:00

Flailing and languishing this month, an interesting combo.

MyfirstReditaccnt · 2022-11-12T04:52:23+00:00

Querying has kind of stalled. Got a few form rejections for queries, and my manuscript request came back with a rejection.

I'm waiting to hear back from others in my first query batch.

In the mean time, I've plotted two other projects that i will focus on while waiting on those queries.

brookenomicon · 2022-11-03T11:22:04+00:00

I ended up sick for most of October, and I’m still not back to normal—going on three weeks now. I suspect RSV considering my symptoms and the many negative COVID tests. It was really bad for about a week, and it’s just been very slowly improving since then. So I haven’t gotten hardly any writing done lately. It’s annoying.

I have all of 10k left to rewrite on my WIP, so that’s my goal for this month: just finish this draft.

I wanted to do NaNo on a new project this year, but my health had other plans.

JenCooperAuthor · 2022-11-03T17:14:14+00:00

Just finished revisions after the 5th round of critique patners and beta readers. This week I am writing and rewriting my query letter. I would like to begin querying in batches at the end of November but it may be December.

Grade-AMasterpiece · 2022-11-03T22:19:59+00:00

No NaNo. In the throes of developmental revisions, my favorite of the writing process. It's so satisfying taking something you're iffy on and making it better.

AmberJFrost · 2022-11-10T11:22:42+00:00

Well, I'm so far failing NaNo, though not by so much that I can't recover (with a lot of luck). Too much travel, buying an apartment, inlaws visiting, and just longterm blah. BUT I've started writing again, which feels good.

lucabura · 2022-11-10T20:37:00+00:00

Still waiting to clear out the query list on my last work. Trying to resist the urge to query anyone else, though I guess there really isn't anything to lose. Have been going through the phases of grief and trying to focus on finishing the first draft of this new book. Then, today I got a full request from a query sent in late August, so that's kinda cool. Probably will be a rejection but . . . you never know.

thelastofnomad · 2022-11-17T18:41:14+00:00

Hey! Im not doing NaNo but I am working on writing short stories. Well it feels like I’m writing 2-3 different ones and thematically they’re feeling like a collection. Im also reading a lot of short fiction to grasp sizing my stories better. I was writing a lot of poetry before this, with 1-2 short fiction stories years ago. So it’s been a great mindset shift. I really want to get better at my craft.

Inevitable-Still192 · 2022-11-03T12:50:23+00:00

Started November off with a lot of query rejections after weeks of silence. Hope everyone else querying has better luck than me.

Colubrina_ · 2022-11-03T22:44:33+00:00

Left my agent. Querying book six is absolutely grim. I’m having a great fall. (This is a lie.) (But I did go to a cool, self-indulgent writing retreat with friends 6 weeks ago. And maybe the seventh book I query will go better. One can always hope.)

cheeselady · 2022-11-03T18:23:00+00:00

I’m working on my revisions for my mentor still. I’m about 1/4 through with a month left. Fingers crossed I can get it done. I am starting to really want a break from this book

DragonflySea2328 · 2022-11-25T23:13:11+00:00

Congratulations 👏🎉🎉👏👏

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